Back to Normal
by Potato Lover 2.0
Summary: Instead of giving in and finally signing the abandonment papers, Robert fights to keep custody over Callie. All he wants is a relationship with his daughter but all she wants is for everything to get back to normal.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is my** _ **what if**_ **interpretation of the Fosters. It's basically what life would have been like (mostly for Callie) if Robert had gotten Custody.**

It's not fair. Then again, nothing ever seems to go my way.

I still don't understand why Robert wouldn't just sign the abandonment papers. He'd done it once, why can't he do it again? And he acts like he's such a great person, like he cares about me or whatever. But he's just selfish. He doesn't want what's best for me. He wants what's best for himself. And he did whatever he could to get that. He used his expensive lawyers to win. Not that the judge would ever rule in Stef and Lena's favor anyway.

It had been a couple of months since the whole Robert-custody fiasco had been "settled". I had gone to live with Robert, but i still got to visit the Fosters. It's not like that's what I wanted. I wanted to live with the Fosters, not see them every other weekend. Robert agreed to letting me see them because he wanted the judge to believe that he was making this transition easy for me. But nothing about it was easy.

I tried to clear my head of these thoughts as I finished my breakfast and headed toward the door to go to school. Summer school. I had to make up credits for my history class so I could graduate next year. At least Robert was letting me stay at Anchor Beach.

"Leaving already?" Robert asked as he came down the stairs to the front door.

"Yep" I responded "I'm wanna catch up with Jude before class starts"

"Do you want a ride?"

"No. It's good weather today, I don't mind walking"

"Okay. I'll see you this afternoon right?"

"Yeah"

It didn't take too long to get to school. I sat on the outstretched branch of a tree waiting for Jude, watching other students milling around, talking and laughing, waiting for class to start.

"Hey!" Jude shouted from the parking lot. I looked up at him, a giant smile plastered on his face. He stood next to Lena, who waved at me. I hopped off the tree and waved back.

"Hey" I greeted Jude. "You excited for summer school?"

Jude shrugged "I don't know. It's school, so…"

"So it can really be too exciting" I said, finishing his sentence.

"Yeah"

We sat on the tree for a little while, talking about how our weekends were. Jude told me about how he had gone to the beach with Mariana and Brandon, and they had found a dead jellyfish. I told him about how I had gone boating with Robert and Sophia again. We continued telling these short stories to each other for a little while. I liked being able to do that. To talk like stuff was normal. Like we were the way we always had been.

 **So I know this is a really short chapter but I really have no idea where I'm going with this story. I am completely open to any ideas you guys have for what should happen, and I'd love to see some in the comments.**

 **This is my first fanfiction ever, so I'm sorry if it's not very good.**


	2. Chapter 2

School wasn't too bad. Of course I didn't want to be going to summer school, but at least it meant I could graduate. As I made my way toward the main doors, I heard a voice coming from from down the hall trying to catch my attention.

"Hey Callie!" I turned my head to see who it was. Lena waved and smiled from where she stood behind me.

"Could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure" I said, walking over to her and wrapping her in a hug. "It's good to see you, by the way"

"You too, love. You'll be with us this weekend, right?"

"Right." I confirmed "So what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that your independent study at the drop in center has been approved by the teacher board"

"Awesome. Speaking of which, I need to get going, I have a shift this afternoon"

"Okay. I'll see you at the end of year party?"

"See you then" I gave her a quick hug before quickly making my way out of the building.

I made my way through neighborhoods, trying to shield myself from the summer heat by staying under the shade of the trees that lined the sides of the road. I Didn't mind walking, but I had a suspicion that I was going to be getting a car soon. It was almost my seventeenth birthday and Robert had been taking me driving so I could get my lisence. And Jude had asked Robert to get me a car. We decided to make it a condition that once I did, I would drive him to and from school so we could see each other every day. Maybe that was one of the benefits of having a rich birth father. Then again, I wouldn't have to pick Jude up for school every day if Robert would've just let me stay with the Fosters.

Not much happened at the drop in center. It was a Thursday, so it was a lot less crowded than it was during the weekend. Even so, there were still plenty of kids that needed help getting emergency placement or getting in contact with family members. But many kids also just came there to hang out and have something to eat. I enjoyed being able to help these kids that hadn't been as lucky as me and Jude. Not that we were very lucky in the past, but I wanted to be able to help other kids find forever families like the Fosters.

I arrived back at the Quinn's house around 6:30 that night. I was greeted by Robert, Sophia, and Jill eating at the dining table.

"Hey" Robert said, standing up from his seat to come talk to me. "Where've you been?"

"At the drop in center"

"You didn't tell me you were going to be there"

"Sorry." I say flatly as I begin heading up the stairs.

"You can't just go places and not tell me, Callie"

"I said I'm sorry, okay? I just forgot."

"Are you going to join us for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." I continue to head up the stairs.

"We'll leave leftovers in the fridge in case you change your mind"

I go to my room without responding. I can't lie, it's a nice room. Its extremely spacious, has a huge bed, and beyond the sliding glass doors there's a balcony that overlooks the city. But I still miss my old room. I loved sharing a room with Mariana. No matter what happened throughout the day, we'd still end up together. It was like an unavoidable daily talk, and I missed that. I missed everything about being with the Fosters. And I wanted it back.

 **I've been thinking about adding Aaron to this story because I really like his character but I'm not really sure how to work him into the story. What do ya'll think?**


	3. Chapter 3

I sat by the sliding glass doors of my room early Friday morning, plucking at the strings on my guitar. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before partially because I was upset with Robert but also because I was excited. I got to spend this weekend with the Fosters. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table, noticing that I had to leave soon to get to school on time this morning. I pushed myself off of the ground and stretched before groggily making my way downstairs. I sat down at the kitchen table and poured myself a bowl of cereal. Not long after I began eating, my breakfast was interrupted as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Good morning Callie" Jill said as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Morning" I responded through a mouth full of cereal.

"Do you have any plans today?"

I shrugged. I could tell that she was trying to make conversation, but I really didn't feel like talking. At least, not to her.

"I should actually get going" I said, putting my bowl in the sink. "I don't want to be late"

"Alright. I'll see you later"

"MmHm"

My actions were once again interrupted by someone else coming downstairs as i made my way out,

"Leaving so soon?" Robert asked, as he made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah. I'll see you on Monday"

"Monday?"

"I'm spending the weekend with the Fosters. Remember?"

"That's right. I'll see you then"

"Yep" I said flatly, before heading out the door.

The day went by slowly. Really slowly. That's the way most things go when you're looking forward to something. Minutes seem to feel like hours, but it all pays off in the end. I left the drop in center early this afternoon so I could get to the end of year party. I still couldn't believe the fact that I went to school on the beach. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. It's also seemed crazy that the school was hosting a party. All the other schools I attended basically wanted nothing to do with us after the school year ended.

I sat on the beach with Mariana, music blasting in our ears. Brandon's old band was playing live.

"So how's it been? At the Quinn's I mean"

"I don't know. Fine, I guess. I miss you guys though"

"Aww. we miss you too" Mariana said, wrapping me in a hug.

I smiled, hugging her back "Yeah, well at least I get to spend the weekend with you guys"

"Yeah. Hey, what're we gonna do this weekend anyway?"

"I don't really know. I'm just happy I'll be home though"

"Why do you still call it home? I mean, since you live with Robert now."

"I guess because you guys are my home. The Quinn's are just … I don't know. Some people I live with"

Mariana nodded, seeming satisfied with my answer. "I'm gonna go grab some food. Come with?"

"I'd love to." Mariana and I stood up from our seat on the beach, brushed the sand off our legs and made our way through the large crowd of people bobbing up and down to the beat of the music.

The rest of the party continued much like it had before. Eating snacks, dancing to the music, exchanging small conversations. I has become so worn out by the end of the night that I could practically feel the sleep weighing down on my eyelids.

As soon as I got home, I immediately collapsed into bed. A few minutes later, Mariana came in and flopped down onto her bed as well.

"You have a good time?" she asked, from where she lay.

"Yeah. you?"

"Awesome." she let out a sigh. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight" I mumbled as I drifted into sleep.

I awoke to the sound of music coming from Mariana's side of the room. I sat up, watching her dance routine. Mid-turn, she noticed that I was up.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No, it's fine" I said, checking the time. "I should probably get up anyway"

"Alright, I think that moms made pancakes for breakfast"

"Awesome." I got out of bed and stretched, before grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom to get ready.

I entered the kitchen to see the family all seated around the table.

"Good morning love" Stef said, giving me a hug. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good"

"Good. Mama made pancakes, you want some?"

"Always." I grabbed a plate and dished myself some breakfast, before sitting down next to Jude who, like usual, had drenched his pancakes in syrup. He greeted me with a smile. I also missed that. I missed seeing all of the family in the morning. I missed being together with all of them.

"So, what are we gonna do today?" Brandon asked, finishing off his glass of juice.

"I don't know yet. What do you want to do today Cal?" Stef asked.

"I don't really care. As long as I get to do it with you."


	4. Chapter 4

I sat on a beach towel, basking in the amazing weather. It was hot out, which was to be expected since it was summer, but the water was cool and the waves were huge, which attracted a lot of surfers. It took a little while of deliberation, but we finally decided to spend the day at the beach since we could all hang out and talk but still have fun in the ocean or throwing a Frisbee or whatever.

I had spent the past twenty minutes or so mostly chatting with Jude. Even though he had matured a lot lately, especially after he had been shot at, he was still ecstatic to see me. I felt that in a way this separation had brought us closer together. That maybe we wouldn't be spending so much time together if Robert had signed the abandonment. But that didn't make me any less angry. I was still infuriated that he had broken his promise, and in the process broken me. Because I would never be happy with him. Ever. I just wished he would understand that.

My train of thought was interrupted by Jude and Connor bickering next to me. Apparently Jude had gotten bored of telling me about the disaster he had come across while trying to make a pie with moms the other night.

"No wait, that's not fair!" Connor complained, staring at the screen of his phone "You totally cheated"

"Dude, how could I cheat? It's a video game. I'm pretty sure they're, like, designed so you can't cheat"

"Whatever. Rematch"

I turned away from them, snickering, and moved closer to Mariana and my Moms. Brandon had left this morning for Idyllwild and Jesus was at his new school in Colorado, so Mariana and Jude were the only Adams-Fosters siblings left.

"So, what's happening for your birthday next weekend?" Lena asked

"Just dinner with you and the Quinns"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah"

"Hold up, you're not inviting me?" Exclaimed a voice from behind me, startling me. I turned around and jumped up as soon as I saw who it was.

"Oh my god, Cole! It's so good to see you" I said, a huge smile erupting on my face.

"You too" Cole said, smiling back.

"Wait" I said, stopping him "Your voice!" I had just noticed how considerably deeper his voice had gotten since I had last seen him.

"Yeah" he said, laughing. "But seriously, you're not gonna invite me to your birthday party?"

I was about to answer, when I noticed somebody a few feet away from where Cole and I were standing. He had brown, curly hair and was about my height, maybe a bit taller.

"Oh sorry" Cole said, noticing that I was looking in his friends way "This Aaron. He moved here from LA a little while ago. Is it cool if he hangs?"

"Yeah, that's fine" I said, extending my hand toward Aaron.

"Cool" he said, returning the handshake before laying a beach towel near ours.

We all spent a good while talking before Cole suddenly jumped.

"Oh hey, I just remembered"

"What?" I asked, wondering what could've been so urgent that he had to interrupt our very intriguing conversation about how important trashcan placement is in amusement parks.

"I meant to tell you guys earlier" Cole said, turning to Jude and Connor "I've been working for a while to make an LGBT prom happen. You know a place where we can all just, be, and it's actually tonight. I should've told you sooner, but it would be really cool if you could come. It'll give you a chance to meet other gay kids your age."

"Sounds cool. So, who are you taking?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm, uh, going stag"

"What? No. you can't go alone to your own prom. I mean, there must be somebody you can take"

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Like me"

"Wait. Really?

"Yeah. I was just gonna go see a movie with Jude and Connor, but we'll all go"

"Seriously? Awesome. I'll, pick you up at six?"

"Sound's great" I said, with a smile.

"No but seriously guys, Walt Disney had it right with that trash can placement" Aaron said, interrupting the silence that had just barely begun to become slightly awkward.

"Seriously? This again?"

"Yes. You're never more than 30 steps away from a trash can because that's approximately how long it took Walt to eat a hotdog. Think about it. The guy was a genius."

 **So I've got some ideas about what going to the prom will lead to, but I'm not sure what should happen during the dance. Any ideas?**


	5. Chapter 5

I sat on the edge of my bed with Mariana behind me, fixing my hair.

"Sooo, are you excited? To be going to your first prom?" she asked, sounding almost more excited than I was.

"I guess. It'll be fun."

"Your hair looks great, by the way. You'll be an amazing date"

"Oh, well, it's not really a date. We're just friends."

"Well, either way, you look perfect"

"Thanks" I said, laughing a bit.

"Hey Callie, Cole's here!" a voice shouted from downstairs.

"Okay" I said, turning to Mariana. "That's my cue to leave"

"Okay. have fun!"

"I will"

The prom proceeded to be quite like the end of year party. I didn't know anybody except Cole. And Jude and Connor, but they had met some other kids at the beginning of the dance and were somewhere with them. So it was mostly just a lot of bobbing to music and making my way to the refreshments every so often. I was sitting with Cole, talking about his new group home when a familiar voice came from behind.

"Hey guys. Cole, you really did an awesome job with this thing"

"Thanks, Aaron. So glad you could make it"

"Yeah me too. Sorry I'm late. Uh, can I sit?"

"Sure" Cole responded, while waving at some people across the dance floor "Hey, I'll be right back, OK?"

"Yeah" I said, as Aaron took Cole's place.

"So, are you here with a date?" I asked, breaking the moment of silence that had fallen between us.

"Uh, no."

"Are you just here for Cole then, or-"

"I'm trans. That's actually how I met Cole. Through a LGBT center."

"Oh. cool. You know, I'm getting kinda bored of sitting. Do you wanna dance?"

"Yeah, sure."

By the end of the night, Cole, Aaron and I had made my way over to Jude, Connor and their new friends. We were all bouncing along to some pop song that I didn't know the name of when my phone lit up on a table near me. I stepped away from the group and saw that it was a text from Lena.

 _Out front. Don't make me wait for too long._

I turned back to let Connor and Jude know.

"Hey guys, mama's waiting out front. We should get going."

I began to collect my things from the table, hearing jude behind me letting people know that it was nice to meet them and such.

"Hey, so glad you could come" Cole said, hugging me

"Yeah me too. Sorry I have to leave so soon, but I've got a little brother and a curfew."

"Oh, it's fine. I am gonna get to come to your birthday though, right?"

"Of course"

"Hey, we're ready" Jude said, coming up next to me.

"Okay. let's go" I turned to wave goodbye to Cole before doing the same to Aaron.

"Hey, actually I wanted to ask you something" he said, catching up to where I had walked to.

"Sure, what's up?"

"A friend of mine is having a party next weekend. I mean, not exactly a party, it's not like a bunch of people are gonna be getting drunk or whatever. It's more of a - I don't know, like a gathering, I guess. I-I don't know. Uh, anyway, it'd be cool if you could come. I mean, if you want to"

"Yeah, sure sounds cool. I'll text you"

"Alright, yeah. See you then"

 **Now that summer is coming up, I'd like to be doing more writing. So please, comment any suggestions for Fosters stories you'd like to see.**


	6. Chapter 6

I sat at my sliding glass door, strumming my guitar once again. It had become one of my favorite places in the Quinn's house. A place where I didn't have to deal with anyone but myself. And it displayed the most beautiful sunsets every night. My tune of C's, F's and G's was suddenly interrupted by my phone buzzing next to me. I picked it up to find a text

 _Aaron:_

 _Hey. meant to tell you earlier, party's on Wednesday. Sorry I messed up the date earlier, I do that a lot. Anyway, hope you can still come_

I texted him back, letting him know that I'd try to come, before a voice called for me from downstairs.

"Callie, you've got to get going before you're late!" came Robert's voice.

"I know, I'm coming!" I shouted back, setting my guitar down and heading downstairs.

I was greeted to the kitchen by Robert and Sophia at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.

"Hey!" Sophia said excitedly upon my entering the room. "We have some eggs and bacon left over, if you want them"

"Uh, thanks for the offer, but I should be on my way" I said, grabbing an apple from the counter.

Sophia sighed "It sucks that you have to go to summer school. It's so boring here without you." I didn't quite understand why she thought that, since I'd practically refused to spend any time with her since I came to live here. I mean, if she hadn't have ripped up those papers, then I could be with Jude and the Fosters - maybe even adopted.

I nodded to show my agreement with Sophia's remark, even though I didn't really mind summer school. It gave me a chance to see Jude and Lena, which was awesome.

"Oh, don't forget, I have a shift at the drop in center this afternoon, so I'll be back late" I lied, heading out the front door. Well, the getting back late part wasn't a lie. I had to keep an act up so Robert wouldn't find out that I got fired. I specifically remembered telling that foster kid not to touch anything, but of course, he had to go ahead and steal some spray paint anyway. But I couldn't entirely blame him for everything. I should have been smarter than to let him spend the night.

I made sure to arrive home shortly after five, as I usually did on days I worked at the drop in center. As I made my way up the stairs to my room, Robert's voice stopped me.

"So, when were you going to tell me that you got fired?"

I turned around, beginning to talk "I didn't-"

"Oh, don't try to deny it" Robert interrupted me "I called the drop in center to ask when you would be getting home today, and they told me that you had been fired last week. So what happened?"

"It was nothing. I let a foster kid sleep there for a night because he didn't have anywhere else and he ended up stealing some spray paint"

"Why would you do something so stupid, Callie? You need to realize that your actions have consequences."

"This is such bull. It's not like you care."

"Excuse me?"

"No, seriously. You act like you care so much and you want what's best for me, but if that was true you would have let me stay with the Fosters! And I've told you that. I WAS HAPPY WITH THEM! I LOVED THEM!" by this point I was yelling, and I could feel a sob building in the back of my throat. "You don't care about me. You don't want me to be happy. If you did, I wouldn't be here right now."

With that, I turned away, and began my way up the stairs again. Robert let out an angry sigh from behind me "It should go without saying that you're grounded."

I didn't say another word, just wiped the fresh tears off of my cheeks and slammed my door, it's noise echoing through the now silent house. I slid down my wall onto the ground, resting my head on my knees letting my tears fall onto the ground. I didn't realize until now how much I had been keeping inside. This whole time I had been telling everyone, even myself, that I was fine. But I wasn't. I really was unhappy. And I knew that what I said may have hurt Robert, but I hurt too.

 **Please PM or comment any ideas that you'd like to see be turned into a Fosters story. Now that I'm on break, I'd like to write more often. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

I made my way out of the house rather silently Wednesday morning. I had seen Robert in the kitchen while grabbing breakfast, but we hadn't spoken since our fight the night before. As I had stood across the kitchen table from him, he couldn't even bring himself to look up from his plate and at me. And although I knew I shouldn't have blown up like I did, I kind of enjoyed his silence. I liked not having him try to make conversation every time I saw him, trying to make me like him more. It was a nice break, although I figured that it wouldn't last long. Just like how I had gotten mad at him when I found out that he was refusing to re-sign the abandonment papers. He was upset for a bit, but then got over it, and tried to make it seem as though none of it had happened.

I strolled along the road to school, the summer heat being more bearable today as the sky was blanketed with clouds. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I pulled it out to find that I had received a text from Robert.

 _School and home. That's it. Two weeks._

I sighed, sliding my phone back into my pocket. His last words to me had let me know that I was grounded, but it seemed as if he had just remembered that he had forgotten to specify my punishment. It didn't bother me much though. I had made plans to go to Aaron's party, and I wasn't planning to change them. In my book, Robert didn't have control over me. Sure, he has custody as my birth father, but he wasn't my dad. He wasn't my parent. That role belonged to Stef and Lena. As I had said so many times, if he was my parent, he was supposed to care about me. And it didn't seem like he did.

Despite the weather being cooler today, I was thankful to enter the air conditioned building of anchor beach. I caught Lena just as she made her way into her office.

"Mama! Wait up!" I shouted, running to stop her before she closed the door.

'Woah, slow down. What's wrong?" she asked, seeming worried by my hurried behavior.

"Oh, nothing" I responded, laughing a bit at her reaction. "I just wanted to talk to you before class started"

"Okay" she said, inviting me into her office "I've got a few things I need to file, but I'm all ears"

"Uh, we finalized the plans for my birthday this weekend. It'll start around 1 and last through dinner and there'll be cake and stuff. And you guys should probably bring your swimsuits, since the Quinn's have a pool."

"Ok, sounds lovely, we'll be there." Lena said with a smile before adding "Obviously. Is that it, love?"

I thought for a moment before deciding that I would tell her. "Actually, there's something I should tell you before Robert, or anyone else I guess, does"

Lena turned around, with another worried look upon her face "What is it?"

"Um, it's not a huge deal. It's just, well, I got fired from my job at the drop in center because I let a foster kid spend the night there and he stole some spray paint"

"Call-"she began

"No, wait, before you say anything, I know that what I did was really, REALLY stupid. But I learned my lesson. Anyway, I'm gonna need a new senior project since it didn't work out."

I was interrupted by the first bell ringing.

"Okay" Lena said with a sigh, closing the filing cabinet she had been working through. "You need to get to class now, so we'll talk about this later"

"Alright, bye"

"Bye"

I came home directly after school, trying to ensure that Robert thought that I was sticking to his rules. I made my way to the kitchen, looking for something to eat, when Sophia's voice startled me.

"Hey, you're home early"

I sat at the kitchen table, prying open the lid of the grape juice I had recovered from the fridge. "Yeah, that's usually what happens when you're grounded."

"Right. Your fight last night was pretty intense"

I sigh, running my hand through my hair. "You heard that?"

Sophia laughed a bit before giving me an answer. "I think the whole neighborhood heard it."

I stood up from the table and began to make my way toward the front door. "I'm just gonna get some fresh air. I'll be right back."

I made my way away from the Quinn house on foot once again, but this time to a beach. Despite my enjoyment of the outdoors and the nice weather, I had gotten quite tired of walking everywhere. And although I only needed to get to a bus stop, there weren't any too close to the Quinn's neighborhood. And it's not like I could just ask Robert for a ride. At least, not right now.

So, after a bus ride, another semi-long walk as well as multiple checks of the text message Aaron had sent me to make sure I was headed to the right place, I finally made it to the beach. There was a bonfire started, and at least 15 people milling around it. I suspected that more would be arriving later, as it had just begun to got dark.

I approached the group, hoping that Aaron had already arrived so I wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness of trying to make conversation with people I had never met before. Luckily, I didn't have to deal with such situations, as Aaron saw me from his seat near the fire and waved. I greeted him back, and made my way over to him.

I spent a good couple of hours at the beach, talking, mostly with Aaron, but also with a few other people, which was less awkward than I had expected. I was having a conversation with a college student who claimed she was in school for photography when my phone went off once again. I picked it up, to find the second text message today from Robert.

 _Where the hell are you? You should've been home hours ago_

I sat my phone back down, figuring that Robert had no way of finding out where I was. It was a few minutes before I remembered that Stef and Lena had had a tracking app installed on my phone when I still lived with them and I had never bothered to delete it. No doubt had Robert already contacted Stef, letting her know that I was gone. I quickly turned my phone off, before getting Aaron's attention.

"Hey, any chance you want to get out of here?"

He looked over at me, smiling. "Yeah. I actually don't really know why I decided to come in the first place. I literally know nobody here but you"

I stood up, brushing the sand off my legs. "You do have a ride though, right? Cause I'm kind of done with walking for the day"

"Yeah" he said, leading me toward a motorcycle in the parking lot just off the beach.

"Wait, is that yours?"

"Yep" he said, smiling at the way I had reacted to his motorcycle as he boarded it. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all."

 **Thanks for reading. Still open to (and hoping for) suggestions for this story.**


	8. Chapter 8

I sat behind Aaron, the warm evening air rushing past me. I didn't know where he was taking me, but I just wanted to get away from that beach, suspecting that Stef had most likely already tracked my phone to being there. We drove away from the beach and up a road that led to the top of a small plateau riddled with trees and benches.

As I got off of Aaron's motorcycle and handed the helmet back to him, I looked around. The dark sky that had been steadily clearing itself of the clouds since this morning was now covered with stars. The land below us seemed as if it had taken the lights of the sky, multiplied them by 100, and thrown them into the city. Only these lights were man-made, and flashes of white, red, yellow, blue. The colors seemed endless compared to those of the stars.

I found myself making my way over to a tree, whose leaves were ruffling slightly in the breeze. I sat down in the green grass below it, and rested against the trunk. Aaron did the same, sitting down next to me. I looked over at him, and saw him staring out upon the horizon.

"It's cool, right?" he asked, still watching the lights.

"Yeah" I answered, turning my head back to the city. "I don't think I've ever seen it like this before."

"I don't think you fully experience it until you have. There's just something about seeing it at night that makes it seem completely different. Like it's a whole other world." He let out a small laugh. "I don't know."

We both sat for a while in silence, appreciating the beauty in front of us before Aaron began talking again. "So, is there a reason that you wanted to leave the beach? I mean, it seemed like you were having a pretty good time."

"Um, it's not that I was having a bad time, I'm just not really a big fan of crowds."

Aaron nodded. "It's just that you seemed pretty worried after you got that text message or whatever. I wanted to make sure everything's okay."

I hesitated for a moment before answering. "I actually just got in a pretty big fight with my birth dad. He texted me and I guess that kind of upset me a bit."

He nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I've been in my fair share of arguments with my parents. It always kind of left me in a state where I didn't want to deal with them. Or anyone, really."

We spent awhile sitting under that tree, talking, before I noticed how late it must be. The sun had gone down hours ago, the moon and stars now being the only lights in the sky aside from the occasional plane that flew above us.

I stood up, stretching.

"Uh, I should probably get going." I knew what I would have to face when I got home. Robert would no doubt be furious with me. Extend my being grounded. Maybe even cancel my birthday party, although I didn't think he would do that. He still wanted me to get to like him. And Stef and Lena would be equally as mad. I hated making them angry. They loved me so much and I was afraid that when I did something like this they would think that I didn't love them the same. That I didn't want them. But I did. With all of my heart. All I wanted was to go back to them. And I knew that deliberately disobeying Robert wasn't the best way for me to get them to want me back, but I just couldn't stand him. I hated how he tried so hard to be my Father and couldn't understand that that's not who he his. He could have a relationship with me - but that doesn't me that to do so he has to tear me away from my family.

"Yeah" Aaron said, getting up and pulling out his phone to check the time. "It is getting pretty late. I should get home too"

We made our way back to his motorcycle. The air had gotten a bit cooler as it had gotten later, so as we began to drive the air caused me to shiver a bit. I sat behind Aaron, pointing out directions back to the Quinn's house, before stopping him down the street.

"Here is good, thanks." I figured it was better to get off before we got to the House, just incase Robert happened to be waiting out front, even though it was unlikely given that it was probably past midnight.

"Alright" Aaron said, reaching out to retrieve the helmet I was handing to him. "I'll see you later"

"Actually, I'm having a birthday party this weekend. It's up 4 houses from here, around 1 on saturday until the evening - we'll have, like dinner and cake and stuff. And they have a pool, so you should probably bring a bathing suit or whatever."

"Uh, yeah, cool. I'll be there"

"Ok. See you then." I said, smiling, before watching him drive away. I turned away and began to make my way toward my impending doom. I tried to figure out what to say to Robert upon the inevitable confrontation I would face. I knew I would have to apologise and try to explain myself. But really, what am I supposed to say to that.

 _Hey Robert. I know you grounded me and made it SUPER clear that I wasn't supposed to go anywhere other than school and home but I don't think that you should get any control over my life and what I do so I snuck out to a party and stayed until like, one in the morning and didn't tell you or anybody else where I was gonna be. So, I'm sorry I guess, and please don't cancel my birthday party, Thanks._

Before I knew it, I had made it to the Quinn's house, and now stood at the front door. I still had no idea what I was going to do, or what Robert was going to do either. I took a deep breath in and let out a long sigh, before turning the door knob.

 **Hey all, thanks so much for reading. I feel like it's been a while since I've updated,but now that I'm not too busy I'll be trying to update more often. I would love to hear any suggestions for this story as well as fosters related stories you would like to see. Have a wonderful day :)**


	9. Chapter 9

I stepped through the front door, expecting to see Robert waiting for me as soon as I entered. But, much to my surprise, the entry room lights were off. I didn't know what to think. I mean, would Robert really be so dismissive, and just head to bed, not knowing where I was or what I was doing? It didn't think like something he would do if he cared about me as much as he claimed he did. But then again, he still must've been extremely annoyed from earlier. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with me.

I decided that either way, my best bet right now would to be to just head upstairs, go to bed, try to get some sleep and then take it all on tomorrow. So that's exactly what I tried to do. I made my way up the stairs as quietly as possible, when a voice that I hadn't expected to hear came from behind me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned around, to see Stef standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed across her chest. She was still in her uniform, making me believe that she had come over almost immediately after she had finished work. Robert stood a few feet away from her, looking at me with the same disappointment plastered across his face.

"Don't you think you've done enough sneaking around lately?"

I sigh and reluctantly make my way to where they stand as I begin to try to explain myself.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry. I know that you grounded me and I know that I wasn't supposed to go out, but I was just having a bad day and, I don't know, I guess I just wasn't really thinking straight."

Stef made her way to a seat close to the stairs, running her hand through her hair.

"Where the hell were you Callie?! It's one in the morning on a Thursday. You didn't tell anyone where you were, we were all worried, and you just come walking back in like it's no big deal!"

I could feel tears beginning to form in my eyes. I hated seeing Stef so mad. Making her so mad.

"It's really late, I'm gonna head to bed" Robert said, his unwavering look of disappointment still cast down upon me. "We'll talk about your punishment in the morning. I'm just glad you're okay."

With that, he turned away from me and Stef and made his way upstairs. Moments after the noise of his door shutting echoed down the stairs, the tears that had been brimming on the edge of my eyes spilling onto my cheeks. Before I knew it, I had instinctively rested my head on Stef's shoulder, her uniform muffling my sobs.

"Love, hey, hey calm down." her arms now wrapped me in a hug. "What's wrong, love, what is it?"

I sat up, trying to talk through my tears.

"I'm so, so sorry Mom. I didn't want to make you angry or upset. It's just- it's so hard, not being with you guys. I miss you so much."

"Love, we miss you too, and I wish with all of my heart that you could be with us. I understand that this is difficult for you, but that doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want. Whether you like it or not, Robert _is_ your legal guardian and you have to accept that. Okay?"

I sniffled, and wiped my cheeks of my tears. "Okay"

"Okay" she gave me a gentle smile, which let me know that she forgave me, at least a little bit. "So, where were you?"

I took a moment to recompose myself before answering. "I uh, went to a party."

"A party? Until one in the morning?"

"Well, I didn't stay at the party for the whole night. I went and looked at the city with Aaron, you know, from the beach."

Stef let out a sigh, seeming to have difficulty finding the right way to respond. "You know what, it's really late, and you still have school tomorrow, so you should be getting to bed. And I've got to get home too, your Mama must be worried out of her mind."

"Yeah, okay." I say, standing up and hugging her goodbye. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you this weekend for your birthday, yes?"

"Hopefully." with that, Stef exited the house, and I made my way upstairs. I hadn't really noticed how tired I had gotten until now, and I found myself falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit my pillow, which was different than usual, given that I regularly stayed up, running my day through my head. It was nice, just to sleep without my worries constantly finding their ways into my head.

The buzzing of my alarm awakened me from my sleep, and I found myself feeling quite well rested, despite being up so late. I got up, and began getting ready, I was in a relatively good mood, until I remembered that I still had to talk with Robert. I had also had some time for my guilt to set in, especially after talking to Stef last night. I still didn't want to live with him, but Stef had made a good point. He is my dad, and as far as I know he's doing his best.

I made my way downstairs and to the kitchen, where Robert sat at the table, eating breakfast.

"Good morning" he said, looking up from his plate. He seemed to be in a much better mood than yesterday, maybe Stef had said something to him last night as well, she had a persuasive way with her words. "You should fix yourself some eggs and bacon, they're on the stove."

I grab myself a plate and make my way to the food, dishing myself a serving before sitting across from Robert.

"I am _really_ sorry about last night, Robert. I should've stuck to your rules. I was just making really stupid and impulsive decisions."

"I understand that this has been a really sudden change for you, Callie. However, that doesn't give you an excuse to disobey me." I nod. "Obviously, you're still grounded, but your party isn't cancelled. This is strike two though. So, no more trouble."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Alright." Robert stood up from his seat, putting his dishes in the sink. "I need to get going, so I'll see you this afternoon."

"Yeah, see you."

I finish eating, and proceed to wash my dishes, as well as the ones Robert had earlier set in the sink. I then head to school, my conversation with Robert still running through my head. I can't say I wasn't surprised, given how Robert had reacted when he found out that I had been fired from the drop-in center. I was thankful though. Thankful that Robert had given me another chance.

 **Thanks again for reading :) As always, please review and comment or IM any ideas you would like to see as Fosters stories - I need as much inspiration as I can get.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi ya'll, I know it's been a really, really long time since I last updated and for that I am sorry. I've been a lot busier than I had anticipated and I've also been suffering from a severe case of writer's block. Anyway, I'm hoping to get back into the groove of things and update more often.**

Thursday and Friday passed with an unexpected ease, leading me to believe that Stef definitely had talked to Robert, considering his attitude with me had been at an all time low, as had mine with him. She had such an amazing way with words, I believed that she really could convince almost anybody of almost anything. I considered this to be part of what made her such a great cop. And Mom. And wife. And person.

Saturday morning, however, brought a wave of anxiety. Before my mom died, I had loved my birthdays. I'd make it the biggest deal that I could. Make sure that everybody knew that it was my birthday. And birthweek. And one year, as Jude likes to remind me, even my birth month. But after being through the foster system, I wasn't so big a fan. I didn't like getting so much attention, or being at the center of everything, which, unfortunately, was exactly what a birthday party elicited. So now that I had invited Cole, who no doubt had told more of our GU friends about the occasion, and Aaron, I was expecting at least a little bit larger of a crowd.

I was excited nonetheless, that I would get to spend more time with the Fosters. The every other weekend deal wasn't nearly enough in my opinion. I made my way to the kitchen, which was unusually quiet for a saturday morning. I found Sophia at the kitchen table, a cup of orange juice in front of her. Upon seeing me though, she hopped up from her seat and quickly engulfed me in a hug.

"Oh my God, happy birthday! I'm so excited for your party!" she exclaimed, a huge smile on her face as she pulled away from me. I could practically feel the excitement radiating off of her.

"Oh, uh, thanks" I responded, making my way to the fridge in an effort to escape from the rather unwanted clutches of Sophia. "Where's Robert?"

"He went out to get donuts for breakfast, so you better not fill up to much on anything else" she answered, noticing that I was rummaging around the fridge. "And Mom is out back decorating for the party."

I closed the door, and turned over to her, slightly surprised "Um, why decorations? It's not like it's a huge party"

"I don't really know, just a tradition I guess. Mom and dad have always gotten me crazy decorations. You should count yourself lucky, yours don't seem too over the top."

Our light conversation was interrupted by Robert coming in, donut boxes in hand. "Good morning, girls. I've brought donuts." he set them down, before turning me and giving me my second hug of the morning, which I expected many more of as the day went on . "Happy birthday, Cal"

"Thanks, Robert. And thanks for the donuts too."

"No problem" he said, opening the box, just as Sophia made her way to it.

One o'clock rolled around pretty quickly, its arrival being announced by Sophia knocking at my door.

"Come in." I said, putting my phone down and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." Sophia greeted, sticking her head into my room. "Your guests are here"

"Oh, cool. I'll be down in a minute." With that, she left in a rush, her footsteps quickly running down the stairs, as I got up, put some shoes on, and made my way down much slower. Upon seeing the entry room empty, I walked to the backyard, where the main festvities were happening.

"SURPRISE!" voices from all over the back yard erupted as soon as I stepped through the door, immediately followed by Jude wrapping me in a huge hug.

"What is all of this?" I asked, hugging him back.

"Well, I know that you're not the biggest fan of your birthday anymore, but I thought that since now we're with our forever family…..or families" he said glancing back at the Quinns, "that we should do something special. You know, like you did with my thirteenth."

"Well thanks, bud. This is all really awesome." I said, glancing around the yard and taking in all the people that were there. Rita and everybody from GU. Raphael and a few other people that I had met while working at the drop in center, Wyatt, a few other acquaintances that whoever had made the guest list had deemed worthy of an invitation, and, of course, the Adams Foster clan, who were all coming over to greet me. Hugs, greetings, and happy birthdays were exchanged all around before I began to make my way around to say hello to the other people and see exactly what Jill (no doubt with the creative help of Jude) had decided to put up for me. I found Rita at the gift table, which had far more gifts than I was used to, looking at old pictures of me that I figured must have come from the old box of pictures that Donald had given to me and Jude. I said hello to her with a hug before everybody from GU came over from the buffet-style table and enveloped me in even more hugs, greetings, and questions. I then made my way around to the rest of the guest before finding my way back to the Fosters, who were over by a professional photographer, a few of them dressed up in pretty ridiculous costumes, which again, I found way more over the top than I was used to.

"Hey guys. Nice hat Mariana"

"Oh thanks, you like it?" she responded, tipping her cowboy hat in my direction.

"Yeah looks great" I said, laughing.

"Hey love, this is quite some party you've got here" Stef said, coming up behind me.

"I know, this is crazy, right? It's been awhile since I've had a party anywhere close to this one."

"I bet so. Jude told us about how much you used to love your birthdays. Hey, do you know where I can find the water."

"Um, I'm not really sure." I said, looking around. "I can get you a bottle from the kitchen if you'd like though."

"That'd be great thanks." she responded, beginning to follow me into the house. "So, have you been staying out of trouble?"

"It's only been, like, two days since I got in trouble" I said, opening the fridge with a laugh. "But yes, I have."

Stef took the water bottle that I was offering to her, laughing a bit as well "And it better stay that way, young lady."

I was about to respond when I heard a knock at the door "I should get that."

I made my way to the door, and opened it to see Aaron, gift in hand.

"Hey" I said, moving aside from the doorway and inviting him in.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late, that tends to be my general manner."

"No, it's fine."

Stef made her way from the kitchen to where we stood in the entryway, greeting Aaron.

"Hey."

"Uh, Mom, you remember Aaron. From the beach."

"Mm. I'm presuming that this is the same Aaron who invited you to that party, yes?' she asked, looking in his direction.

"Uh, yeah." he answered, extending his hand to shake hers.

She shook it back, a disapproving look still on her face "You're not going to apologise?"

"Um, should I?"

"Well, considering that you took my daughter to a party until 1 am on a Thursday, I'd say that it would be in your best interest."

He stood in silence for a moment, looking somewhat confused. "Oh, I mean, I'd just figured she'd gotten your permission to go. Or someone's permission. And, it was barely a party. I guess it was kind of late, though. I'm sorry."

"Mmhm" she said, sounding unconvinced. "I'm gonna go find Mama."

"Yeah, okay" I gave her a small hug before turning back to Aaron, who let out a sigh.

"I'm guessing that that probably wasn't the best first impression to make on your parents."

"Nah, I'm sure you'll grow on them. You're a pretty likeable person."

"Right. Uh, where should I put this?" He asked, gesturing toward the gift in his hand.

"There's a table in the backyard." I told him, nodding in the direction of the door.

"Cool."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. As always, I'd love to hear any constructive criticism or ideas for where you would like to see this story to go, as well as any prompts for any other Fosters related stories you'd like to read as I am always looking for new ideas.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-Potato Lover 2.0**


	11. Chapter 11

The later it got, the more I found I was actually enjoying my party. Sure, it wasn't ideal, or really what I would have planned myself at all, but it was still really fun. It was getting to be the evening now, and most people had begun to eat dinner, my choice from the wide variety being tacos. As I sat down, the Fosters followed, and for a moment it felt almost as though it was a dinner just with them, like how it could've been if I'd have been home with them right now. Even though I had no doubt that Jude would've still made it a big deal, I thought that it still would've been maybe a bit more personal, and surely not as big. It was a quick, light conversation, but as soon as it had begun, the table started to fill, and it ended.

As the last of the guests finished eating, Jude came from behind me, birthday cake in hand. He sat the cake down in front of me, before everybody started singing happy birthday, which I found to be the most awkward time of any birthday event. I mean, what are you supposed to do? Sing to yourself? That seems a bit self righteous. So you just sit back, and wait for it to be over, trying to decide who or what to look at. When the song ended, Robert cut and served the cake, and people redispersed around the yard.

I sat at a table close to the pool, eating a piece of expensive looking red velvet cake when Jude came and sat next to me.

"I don't think I can say it enough" I began, turning to him "but this is quite the party. I mean, a professional photographer. Really? You could've just hired me."

Jude laughed "Yeah, right, for your own birthday? Anyway, if you don't mind I've got one more little surprise."

"Another one?" I laughed, shaking my head as I stood up "You've really outdone yourself, kid. Well, lead the way."

Jude brought me to a more secluded area of the backyard, making me close my eyes as we got close. He told me where to walk so that I didn't run into or trip over anything, until I heard the sound of an air pump and Jude telling me to stop.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

I looked at Jude's surprise, and then back at him. "You got me a bounce house?!"

"Yeah. You're old birthdays were never complete without them." A smile spread across my face, quickly followed by a similar smile on Judes. We both hopped into the bounce house, and were soon accompanied by the rest of the Adams Fosters. There was something so freeing about being in there. It made me feel like a kid again. And Jude was right, it never used to be my birthday before without a bounce house. This reminded me of what it was like to have a family. A _real family._ It made me unexplainably happy, but again brought that wave of sadness. The sadness that came from the realization that no matter how happy I was with the Fosters right now, it wouldn't last. Because at the end of the day, I'd have to stay with the Quinns and I wouldn't get to go back to see the Fosters for at least another week.

I'm not sure how long I spent in jumping around, but it felt forever. People were constantly cycling in and out, some intruding just for a moment to say goodbye. But I was in there constantly, until my legs were tired and my eyes were heavy. I got out of the nearly empty bounce house, and sat with my back rested against it, putting my shoes on, when Aaron approached.

"Hey." He said, sitting down next to me while looking around.

"Hey."

"So, you really got a bounce house at your seventeenth birthday?"

"Yeah. Is that lame?"

"Uh, no, it's awesome. I'm pretty sure society thinks that you outgrow them when you're, like, 10, but how can you not find them fun?"

"Yeah, I guess." I laughed half-heartedly.

He looked at me, seeming slightly worried. "Is everything okay? Cause you don't seem as happy as most people would at a birthday party with a bounce house and buffet."

"Yeah, I'm fine… It's just, it's kind of a long story."

"It's a saturday night. I've got plenty of time. Uh, unless you don't. Again, it is your birthday."

"No, I don't have any currently pressing matters." I looked around "It looks like almost everybody's gone anyway."

"Alright, fire away. I'm all ears."

"Okay, well, when I was ten-"

"Hold on," he interrupted, chuckling "your story about why you're in a bad mood on your seventeenth birthday starts when you were ten? I was expecting a few days backstory, not seven years."

I gave him a look, letting him know that the topic wasn't exactly a laughing matter, which he quickly caught onto "Uh, sorry. I'll try not to interject anymore."

"Okay." I took a deep breath, before continuing. "When I was ten, my mom died. My dad was driving the car, he was drunk, he crashed, and ended up killing some people. So he went to jail."

Any smile left on Aaron's face was quickly dropped, as he looked down at the ground. "Oh. I- I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." I said shaking my head. "Anyway, there was no family to take Jude and me in, so we got put into foster care. It was about six years before we got placed with the Fosters, and they eventually decided that they wanted to adopt us. So we get everything in order. And the _day_ that Jude and I were supposed to get adopted, the court finds out that Donald, the guy who I grew up with, who, for the past 16 years,I thought was my dad, isn't. At least not my biological Dad. Robert is. And so if I wanted to get adopted, I'd have to find Robert, get him to sign away his parental rights of whatever. And when we finally did get to him, he decided that he didn't want to. That he wanted a relationship with me and so he petitioned the court for custody, and now here I am, exactly where I don't want to be."

"Okay. I, uh, don't exactly understand. I mean, you guys share blood, what's so bad about having a relationship with him?"

"No, it's not that I don't want a relationship with him, I do. But I don't want to live with him. I want to live with the Fosters. I mean, they're my family. And Robert just- he isn't acknowledging that, like, at all."

Aaron nodded. "Alright. But if you don't want to live with Robert. Like, if you _really_ don't… Have you thought about getting emancipated?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I have the money for a lawyer. Or the ability to do it without Robert finding out. I mean I'm staying with him almost all the time."

"Right, but if the Fosters want you with them, then they could probably help with the lawyer. And even if Robert does find out, it's not like he can do anything about it. I mean, if the judge believes that you're better off without him and can support yourself, then it's not up to him at all."

I took a moment to ponder. "You think that that'd actually work?"

"Yeah. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't."

 **Hello all, hope you're still enjoying the story. As always, I'm always open to suggestions.**

 **On another note, I've been wanting to start a Fosters story set in the future (like 4-10 ish years) or with an OC, so if ya'll have any ideas for that I'd love to hear them. Have a wonderful day/night**

 **Until next time, Potato Lover 2.0**


	12. Chapter 12

As I had expected, Robert gifted me with a car for my birthday. This meant that I'd now solidified my agreement with Jude to pick him up for summer school everyday (we were still figuring out what we were gonna do for the normal school year since everybody else goes to school then too). But unfortunately, there were only a couple of weeks left and then after that I'd barely get to see the Fosters at all.

I made my way out to my new car (a red Volkswagen bug) Monday morning. I got in, and began my way to the Adams-Fosters house, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel along to a song on the radio that I wasn't really listening to. Ever since Aaron had talked to me about getting emancipated, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I mean, it had crossed my mind before, but I just figured that it would be too expensive or something and I wouldn't be able to actually do it. But I'd never thought about asking the Fosters for help. But now that I was actually considering it, if they wanted me to be with them as I did, then I figured they would help me.

After a few knocks at the front door, I heard the noise of quick footsteps approaching me. A moment later, the door was swung open by Mariana, mouth half full of toast.

"Hey! It's only 7:30, aren't you supposed to be here at 8:00?"

"Oh, yeah. But I wanted to talk to Moms before for a second."

"Totally, I'm pretty sure they're in the kitchen. I think Mom might be on her way out though."

"Awesome, thanks." I made my way to the kitchen, where Jude and Moms greeted me in the morning commotion.

"Hey love, what are you doing here? You're 30 minutes early." Stef asked, wrapping me in a hug.

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to talk to you guys before Jude and I go."

"Of course."

"Okay. Well, the other night at my party I was talking to Aaron." I paused for a moment, Stef and Lena looking at me expectantly. "Uh, do you think that I might be able to get emancipated?"

They looked at me, slightly shocked. "Is that something you really want Cal?" Lena asked. "I mean, it's not the easiest thing to do, and I don't want you making huge decisions like this just because some boy thought it would be a good idea."

"Yes! And I'm not just doing it just because Aaron said something. I've thought about it before, but until Aaron mentioned it on Saturday, I'd always figured it'd be too expensive. I never thought about asking you guys."

Stef looked over at Lena, both of them still looking surprised. "We'll talk about it, love. But, you know, it's not going to be easy. You're gonna need to be able to get a job that could support you on your own. You'll need to show the judge that you're better off on your own. _And_ you're gonna have to try to do it without Robert finding out, which I don't like, but he'll try to shut it down as soon as he catches a whiff."

"Okay. Yeah, okay." I said, nodding.

"Okay, now go find your brother. I swear, if he's playing video games again, that kid is grounded for a month."

Upon coming home, and after a quick hello to Sophia and Jill who were playing cards in the living room, I made my way to my room, to look for a job. Even though mom's still hadn't approved me getting emancipated, I figured I may as well get a head start. A lot of my teachers had been suggesting that I look into internships, as they could increase my chance of getting accepted into colleges, especially since I wasn't really the extra-curricular type student.

I scrolled through the pages filled with job openings in San Diego, many of them unpaid, and the ones that weren't were things that I never would've even considered taking if I hadn't been in my situation. _Business. Ecology. Management._ My ideal job would be something arts related, maybe social work, but I was close to positive that they wouldn't take me back at the drop-in center, and there wasn't a single art internship that'd pay even a cent. There were a few that did somewhat catch my interest though. No dream job, not that I was expecting one, and they did seem to be looking for somebody "with enthusiasm and good interpersonal relationships," which weren't exactly my trademark characteristics, and there was, of course, the problem of actually getting the job. I'd only previously had 2, and I'm sure there were going to be other people that are a lot more qualified than I am, but I figured it was at least worth a try.

Another problem, which crossed my mind at dinner, was that I'd never really had an official interview before. Daphne had helped me get my job at the restaurant I worked at, and I'd gotten my job at the drop-in center through a recommendation from Bill, my social worker. I sat, poking at my leftover green beans, before deciding to bring it up.

"Hey, Robert?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from his plate.

"Uh, I'm thinking about applying for some internships, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me put together a resume and prepare for some interviews." I felt kind of bad, asking Robert for help with something that I would just use to get away from him. But if I wanted even a sliver of a chance of getting a job, I wouldn't be able to all on my own, and seeing the Fosters every other weekend wouldn't be nearly enough time to prepare for a job plus work on all the legal stuff.

"How come?"

I wasn't really expecting follow-up questions, so I gave the most believable answer I could come up with, trying not to stumble over my words. "Oh, um, I mean, ever since I lost my job at the drop in center, I've kinda been meaning to look for something new, and some of my teachers say that they'd help with college applications."

"Sure, I'd love to help."

So, that's one problem down. Well, kind of down. If I can actually get a job, _then_ that's one problem down.

 **Thank you for continuing to read, and, as always, I'm open to suggestions for anything you'd like to see in this story. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

"So," Robert began, as we sat at the dinner table Wednesday evening, "have you found anything yet? Anything you might be interested in for a job?"

"Not really. All the ones I'm looking at want somebody who has experience or like, a degree or something." I respond, poking around at the pasta on my plate. "At least all the ones that pay do."

"Why do you need one that pays? I thought you were doing this for colleges."

I pause, finding myself again in a place where I didn't know how to respond. Of course Robert didn't think I needed a paying job, living with him and all.

"Oh, well, I mean, managing money is a really good tool to get before college too. You know, since schools don't bother to teach us that kind of stuff."

"Right, that makes sense. But don't you think that it'd be better to get a job that you really like doing and not get paid than something you only kind of like but get paid for when you don't really need the money?"

"Yeah, maybe." I responded, with a slight nod. Except I do need the money. I need a way to get away from here and back to the Fosters more than I need a job that I really like doing.

"Well," Robert said as he began to clear his food from the dinner table "if you need any help with anything, I'm here."

"Mmhm."

"Sorry for making you spend time here with me, I'm sure you have much better things do." I say, eating lunch outside the school with Aaron on Thursday. "I'm still grounded so I'm not allowed to be anywhere but here and Roberts."

"Sorry about that. Again." He responded, looking at me apologetically. "But I really don't mind, I like spending time with you."

"You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault. Uh, anyway, I decided to look into getting emancipated."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, I started looking at jobs, internships, but so far, no luck. At least not any that I think I'd be any good at and payed for."

Aaron sat for a moment, contemplating my problem. "You used to work at a drop-in center, right? For foster kids?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Did you like it?"

"Mmhmm" I responded through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Well, maybe you could go talk to the people there. See if they could write you a recommendation or something."

"Right." I say, laughing. "I'm sure that after letting a kid sleep there and steal spray paint they'll be more than eager to help me out."

"Okay. But it couldn't really hurt, could it?"

I called Robert as soon as school let out, crossing my fingers in hopes that he wouldn't be too upset to let me do what I planned to do. I needed to go to the drop in center as soon as possible. The sooner I'm able to get a job, or get close to getting a job, the better. And Robert had been in a good mood in regards to me the past couple of days, so I figured it a good time to try to get out of the strict rules of my grounding.

The ringing coming from the phone got cut off by Roberts voice "Hello?"

"Hi, Robert. I, uh, I know that I'm still grounded but I was wondering if I could go to the drop-in center. I wanted to talk to Raphael about other jobs like the one I had at the center."

"Callie, I appreciate that you're looking for a job, but you disobeyed me. You can wait until your not grounded anymore."

"Please, Robert. The sooner I get this the better."

Silence

"And it's not like I'm gonna have any fun going back there and asking the people I betrayed for help."

Silence again.

"Please. I need this."

A sigh. "Okay. But that it. You come home right after you're done there. If I found out that anything else happened, there will be consequences."

"Of course. Thank you."

I walked through the doors of the drop-in center, the all too familiar recreational room stretched out in front of her. i began my way around the facility, looking in the places my boss most often found himself when his voice suddenly came from behind.

"Callie, hi!"

I turned around, smiling. Despite our slightly awkward situation, Raphael seemed genuinely happy to see me.

"We miss you around here, you were always so good with all of the kids."

"Oh, thanks. I miss you guys too."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Um, well, I'm looking into jobs, you know to help with getting into colleges, maybe make some money, but so far I haven't been able to find any that really capture my interest. Anyway, I was wondering if you may be able to help out."

"Help out how?" he asked, looking somewhat confused.

"Oh, I just thought you might know some places kinda like this one, at least in the same vein. Places that might be hiring." I pause for a moment, trying to gauge Raphaels reaction. "I mean I totally understand if you don't want to, considering the fact that we kind of ended on the wrong foot."

"No, no, I'd love to help out. You may have messed up here but you're extremely talented at this. Anywhere'd be lucky to have you."

I breathe out an internal sigh of relief. Thank God that Raphael was a good guy. A guy that believed in second chances, even if not directly by him.

"Oh, my God. Thank you. Thank you so much." I say with a smile.

"Of course." he responded, smiling back. "I've actually got a friend who runs a similar kind of thing across town, and I know she's been pretty short-staffed lately. I'm not sure if she'll be able to offer a paying position, but I'll look into it and call you if it works out. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Yes. I've got to get going, but again, thank you so much."

I walk out of the drop-in center, making my way to my car. For the first time since the judge informed me that I'd have to live with Robert, I had hope. Even though I needed something paying, and the chances of this job being paying were relatively low, it was a start. And maybe I'd get lucky.

Then again, luck never really seemed to be on my side.

 **Hey everybody, sorry it's been so long since an update on this story, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner (or at least in less than 4 months). As always, I'm open to any suggestions you may have for the story. Thank you so much for reading, and please follow and review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

I received a call from Raphael Friday evening, letting me know that he'd spoken with his friend, Lyla, who agreed to meet with me Saturday morning, as she wanted to speak to me as soon as possible, and the center only got fuller as the day progressed, especially on the weekends. Other than the address of the center, which was a few miles away from the Fosters house, even further from the Quinns, too far for walking distance, so I was lucky that I had gotten the car. The only roadblock left to clear was Robert, as I was still grounded for almost another week.

I made my way down the stairs to the living room where the Quinns sat playing a board game, which I had politely opted out of. I had no desire spend more time with these people than I needed to, and there was really no reason for them to get more attached to me than they needed.

"Hey!" Sophia said excitedly upon seeing me "Do you want to join us? Mom went to go make popcorn so we only really just started."

"No, I'm good, thanks though. But I'd like to talk to Robert, if that's okay."

At the noise of his name, Robert turned around. "Sure, what's up Callie?"

"Uh, so I talked to Raphael yesterday about where I might be able to find a job, and he mentioned a friend who runs a similar kind of thing," I began " and so he talked to her, and she'd like to meet with me as soon as possible, which is tomorrow morning. Anyway, I'd just like to know if it's okay for me to go."

"Yeah, that's okay, but you need to promise me that that's all you'll be doing."

"Okay, I promise."

"I want you to let me know when you're leaving, and text me when you get there, and when you're leaving. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Are you sure you don't want to join us?" he asked, turning back towards the game. 'We'd love to have you."

"I'm really okay, thanks."

"Well, if you change your mind, you're welcome to come back down."

"Okay." I said, knowing that I wouldn't.

I got up pretty early on Saturday, Lyla had asked me to meet her at 8:30, and I didn't plan to make my first impression as someone who shows up late. The house was still rather quiet when I made my way downstairs, leading me to believe that most of the family had yet to wake up. That silence was interrupted by the noises of cooking food as I approached the kitchen, where Robert stood at the stove, preparing bacon and eggs.

"Hey, I'm heading out." I said, making my way to the cabinet to receive a muffin.

"Oh, are you sure you don't want to stick around a bit longer for breakfast? I'm almost done."

"Yeah, I really don't want to be late."

"Alright, suit yourself. Any idea when you'll be done."

"Um, not really, it'll probably be a couple of hours."

"Okay, break a leg."

"Mmhmm"

I sat on the outside end of a desk, in a small room located near the back of the drop-in center, my eyes wandering around the room as I waited for Lyla, who was pulled into some sort of semi-emergent situation by a coworker. The whole center had a friendly vibe to it, posters riddled the walls, some crisis hotlines and the such. The main room, the only one I'd really gotten a good look at, was filled with bright, comfortable looking furniture, and a few computers sat on desks to the far left.

My absent-minded mental review was interrupted by the door behind me opening, and Lyla walking in, paperwork in hand. She was tall and looked rather young, her skin the color of dark chocolate, and her hair, which was shaved short, was bleached to an almost platinum blonde. I stood up to greet her as she began talking.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, I had to help a colleague work through some paperwork for one of his placements. I'm Lyla, presuming that you're Callie," she said, outstretching her arm for a handshake, which I immediately returned. "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Yeah, you too. And thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

"It's really no problem, I'm always eager to find new employees. Please, sit."

The interview, as far as I could tell, went relatively well. I was almost done with summer school, and so would be able to work practically full-time for the rest of the summer, which Lyla had told me would be the best (and probably only) way for me to get a paying job. She said that for the most part, I'd be helping out around the center, cleaning and the like, as well as helping with other events they do, like fund-raising. From what I could tell, the way it ran worked pretty similarly to Raphael's. However, the main difference, was that as opposed to just foster kids, this center focused on LGBT youth. Many of them in foster care, some of them homeless, looking for placements.

I made my way out of the office and towards the front doors when a familiar voice stopped me.

"Callie? Hey."

I turned around to see Aaron, walking away from what seemed to be some sort of card game.

"Hey Aaron. Uh, what're you doing here? Last I checked, you're not an at-risk foster teen."

"No." he laughed "I volunteer here sometimes."

"Oh, and you didn't think to mention that when I told you I was looking for jobs?" I joked.

"Sorry, it didn't cross my mind. Did you get a job here?"

"I think so, it's looking good."

"That's great. Uh, do you have some time, maybe let me show you around, get you to know this place?"

I pulled my phone out, checking the time. The interview hadn't been as lengthly as I had anticipated, and had a while before Robert would start getting suspicious, or even asking questions. I also figured he really had no way to find out, and I had no desire to go back to the house before I had to.

"Yeah, sure, I'd love to."

After going to the other rooms in the building, including a simple kitchen and a room with a few cots, which I was told were for some of the kids who had long-term trouble finding homes, Aaron led me to the yard behind the center, filled with benches, tables, and chairs set up on a small patio, beyond which was a small grass field. We sat across from each other at one of the small tables.

"So, you sound pretty confident that you've got this job in a bag." he began.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, she's been short staffed lately, and, I mean, who wouldn't love to have me working for them?"

He laughed. "And she's offering you a paying job, right?"

"Sounds like it. Of course, it's not super high, but it's good."

"That's good" he responded with a smile. "Just one step closer to getting what you want. I'm proud of you."

 **Thank you so much for reading, please follow and review. I'm always open to any ideas you have for this story, or other Fosters stories you want to see. :)**


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